


Hide Your Light (Until You Lose Sight Of It)

by kaycipher



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Han and Leia as Rey's Parents, Jossed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:59:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7883086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaycipher/pseuds/kaycipher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A brief look into how Rey lost her family, and how they lost her.</p><p>(This was not jossed at the time that I wrote it, but it's since been stated that Rey's parents did not appear in TFA, so it is effectively AU.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hide Your Light (Until You Lose Sight Of It)

**Author's Note:**

> For a while there I was pretty sure that Rey was a missing Organa Solo kid, but the parental abandonment didn't add up-- Han and Leia would never do that. This was pretty much my theory as to how they got split up, put into the format of a oneshot story.

I.

They name him Ben for the man that died to save both their lives, because Leia can’t bring herself to give him an Alderaanian name, not so soon. Their second child comes late enough that it’s time to honor her mother’s world. They name her Breha, for the mother that Leia knew. Ben adores her from the moment he first gets to hold her.

II.

She’s so bright and curious, sometimes so much that it burns– a ray of light. It’s almost part of her name. Ben takes to calling her that, their little sibling in-joke. She’ll follow her big brother everywhere if he’ll let her, around their parents’ house and their uncle’s fledgling academy, but he doesn’t let her. He’s learning new things that someone so small doesn’t need to be burdened with.

III.

He must forget the ones he calls his family, Snoke has told him. He knows it is true; he cannot hold onto those who have forsaken his grandfather’s legacy. But when the day comes to take the Academy, when he tries so hard to throw away his mother and father and uncle, Ben still cannot let the other knights cut down his baby sister with the rest of the Jedi trainees. He hides her on his new ship, tells her it will be all right. She knows it won’t. She can’t stop crying until he calls her by her nickname and tells her he’ll be back soon.

IV.

The academy is in flames. He takes his leave of the Knights, his new family, says there is official business. He knows he can’t hide Ray forever, and he knows he can’t take care of her among the Knights. He takes her to the middle of nowhere– Jakku, where the war ended. Tells her that their parents are gone. Tells her she’ll be safe here. She doesn’t want to stay. He leaves. _She’ll be safe here,_  he tells himself. No, that’s not right. A Knight can’t think like that. _She’ll grow strong here,_ he tries again, _and then she can join us._ Snoke doesn’t need to know, until she’s grown and joins the Knights, and then he’ll praise Kylo’s judgment.

V.

Their son has left them for the enemy and their daughter is dead. They cannot hold together, no matter how hard they try. Leia thought she would feel something in the Force if one of her family died, but she can’t recognize anything. But her brother can’t bring himself to face anyone now, and she has nobody else to ask. She refuses to let a false hope blind her, with a new war inevitable on the horizon.

VI.

The sun and sand and long-past terror have faded her memories. She cannot remember the names and faces of her family. She’s no longer sure that all of them were real, but she has to hold on to something beyond the stifling dust of Jakku. She knows how to keep safe in the desert; she knows how to fly a ship (in theory); she knows her staff, and she knows that her family is coming back for her. She knows that her name is Rey.

VII.

Han looks at the girl who has somehow stolen his ship and sees the echo of someone who might have been. She’s so much like Breha. His daughter would have been about Rey’s age by now, but he can hardly stand to think about that.

He tries to watch out for her, but it’s not enough. Just like before.

VIII.

Kylo has his sister back and he knows now that sparing her was a mistake. He wants to teach her; she wants to kill him. She refuses to understand. She flings her old nickname in his face. (He doesn’t consider for a second that it’s not about him.)

And she still sees right through him. Snoke was right; keeping his family was far too dangerous. The knowledge is burning fresh in his mind when he runs into his father again.

IX.

Leia doesn’t know the girl that comes back with the Falcon after Starkiller Base, but something draws her to Rey, and they hold each other tight like they’ve found someone lost.

Neither knows yet just who they’ve found.


End file.
